Winter family, cool and clear
Cool Winter (true winter) color palette
Blue-based color, worn at full strength.
· By the Hue & Shape team
Not sure you are a Cool Winter?
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Cool winter, also sold as true winter, is the season with no warmth in it at all. The skin has a pink, rosy or blue-leaning base at every depth, the hair is usually dark brown, black or a cool ash that turns silver early, and the eyes tend toward icy blue, gray, cool green or a dark brown with a gray ring.
The defining trait is temperature, not darkness. A cool winter can be fairly light or quite deep, but whatever the depth, gold makes the skin look yellowed and blue-based colors make it look clean. Contrast between hair, skin and eyes is medium to high, so the palette can be saturated without overwhelming the face.
The colors follow: true red with no orange in it, royal blue, emerald, magenta, icy pink and pure white, held together by charcoal, navy and silver.
Palette at a glance
Winter family · Silver, platinum and white gold.
Also called true winter.
The palette
Cool Winter color palette: 36 colors with hex codes
36 colors in six groups. Hex codes are for screens; fabric and print will vary.
Neutrals
- Pure White#FFFFFF
- Silver#C4C9CF
- Cool Gray#8D939B
- Charcoal#2F3237
- Navy#1B2541
- Sapphire#213A7A
Lights
- Icy Pink#F3D7E3
- Icy Blue#D6E4F5
- Icy Violet#E2DAF2
- Icy Green#D4EFE4
- Icy Aqua#D0F0F5
- Ice Gray#E6E9EC
Mid-tones
- Aqua#4FC3D9
- Periwinkle#5F7FD6
- Cool Turquoise#1FA3B5
- Orchid#A35BB8
- Medium Blue#3C6FC8
- Jade Green#1F9A7A
Deeps
- Pine#14452F
- Plum#5A2A4A
- Midnight Blue#1A2560
- Deep Purple#3D1F5C
- Spruce#0F3D3D
- Blackberry#3A1530
Accents
- Royal Blue#1F4FBF
- Emerald#0F7A5A
- Cobalt#0047AB
- Violet#6A2FBF
- Teal#007C80
- Hot Turquoise#00A3C4
Reds and pinks
- True Red#C8102E
- Ruby#9B1030
- Raspberry#B0174F
- Magenta#C2187A
- Cool Fuchsia#D0208A
- Shocking Pink#E0337F
On the map
Where cool winter sits among the 12 seasons
Cool winter is the far left edge of the map: warmth -0.95, the coolest anchor of all twelve, with depth 0.6 and clarity 0.88. Its nearest neighbor by the free test's distance is cool summer, which is almost as cool and only a little lighter and softer, so the two are the pair the tool most often has to separate. Deep winter sits below it, darker and slightly less cold, and bright winter sits to the right, a touch warmer and at full clarity. Every season the tool places close to cool winter is in the cool half; there is no warm neighbor within reach.
Recognize it
How to tell if you are a cool winter
- Your skin looks pink or rosy rather than golden, and it burns before it tans.
- Silver and platinum brighten your face; yellow gold makes the skin look slightly yellow or ruddy.
- Pure white looks crisp on you, and cream or ivory looks faintly dingy by comparison.
- Your hair is cool: dark brown, black or ash, often graying to a clear silver rather than a yellowed one.
- Your eyes are cool in color, such as icy blue, gray, cool green or dark brown with a gray or blue outer ring.
- A fully saturated blue-red lipstick looks natural on you rather than costume-like.
A three-step drape check at home
- 1
In daylight, with clean skin and hair tied back, hold True Red under your chin and then a tomato or orange-red. True red should make the skin look even; the orange-red should bring out pink patches around the nose and chin.
- 2
Swap to Pure White against cream. On a cool winter the white lifts the eyes and the cream looks yellow by contrast.
- 3
Last, try Royal Blue next to a dusty slate or denim blue. If the clear royal blue looks better than the grayed one, you have winter clarity rather than summer softness.
Not sure? The free test reads your season from a photo and seven questions, and the photo never leaves your device.
Find my seasonSide by side
Cool winter vs cool summer (true winter vs true summer)
These two are the coolest seasons and sit right next to each other on the map, so undertone cannot split them. Clarity can. A cool winter's features stand apart: dark hair against lighter skin, or bright eyes against a dark brow. A cool summer's features blend, with mid-tone hair, softer contrast and skin that looks best in colors with a little gray in them.
From the winter side, the sign is that soft colors look like a faded copy. Rose, slate blue and soft plum are correct in temperature but make a cool winter look sleepy. Their clear versions, magenta, royal blue and true plum, wake the face up. A cool winter can also wear black at the face, which a cool summer usually cannot carry.
- True Red #c8102e
- Royal Blue #1f4fbf
- Magenta #c2187a
- Pure White #ffffff
- Charcoal #2f3237
- Emerald #0f7a5a
True Red, Royal Blue, Magenta, Pure White, Charcoal, Emerald
- Dusty Rose #d49aa5
- Wisteria #9b8fc4
- Slate #5c6b7d
- Soft Teal #6fa8a2
- Plum Gray #7c6b80
- Ice Blue #c8d8ea
Dusty Rose, Wisteria, Slate, Soft Teal, Plum Gray, Ice Blue
The test that separates them
Hold Royal Blue and then a grayed slate blue at your face. If the royal blue looks right and the slate looks dull, you are cool winter. If the royal blue looks loud and the slate looks calm, read the cool summer page.
Side by side
Cool winter vs deep winter
Both live in the winter family and share black, white and blue-based jewel tones, but they put the weight in different places. A deep winter is dark before it is cool, and its best colors are the deepest ones. A cool winter is cool before it is dark, so it can wear clear mid-tones and icy lights at the face where a deep winter would look pale.
If your hair is medium ash brown or your skin is rosy and light, cool winter is the more likely fit. Your best red will be a bright true red rather than a dark wine, and an icy pink top will look fresh rather than washed out.
- Icy Pink #f3d7e3
- Periwinkle #5f7fd6
- True Red #c8102e
- Cool Turquoise #1fa3b5
- Silver #c4c9cf
- Pure White #ffffff
Icy Pink, Periwinkle, True Red, Cool Turquoise, Silver, Pure White
- Aubergine #3a1f3d
- Deep Teal #14494d
- Burgundy #5a1f2e
- Charcoal #2c2f33
- Cobalt #2c4ea0
- Icy Pink #f2dce6
Aubergine, Deep Teal, Burgundy, Charcoal, Cobalt, Icy Pink
The test that separates them
Wear Icy Pink as a full top with no dark layer over it. A cool winter looks clean and bright; a deep winter usually needs black or navy nearby to stop the face from fading.
Side by side
Cool winter vs bright winter (true winter vs clear winter)
Bright winter shares the cool base but trades a little coolness for maximum clarity, so its colors are electric: hot pink, lemon, lime and electric blue. A cool winter wears saturated color too, but it stays blue-based all the way through and is not at home in yellowed brights.
The practical difference is the yellow end of the palette. A clear lemon or a lime green suits bright winter. On a cool winter both colors pull the skin slightly sallow, and icy green or icy aqua does their job better. Cool winter also tolerates more mid-tone and grayed blue, such as Cool Gray, than bright winter does.
- Sapphire #213a7a
- Royal Blue #1f4fbf
- Raspberry #b0174f
- Icy Blue #d6e4f5
- Cool Gray #8d939b
- Pine #14452f
Sapphire, Royal Blue, Raspberry, Icy Blue, Cool Gray, Pine
- Lemon #ffe14d
- Lime #b6e01f
- Turquoise #00b8c9
- Shocking Pink #ff1f8f
- Violet #7a2ff2
- Bright White #ffffff
Lemon, Lime, Turquoise, Shocking Pink, Violet, Bright White
The test that separates them
Hold a clear lemon yellow at your face, then Icy Blue. If the lemon looks lively, consider bright winter. If the lemon yellows the skin and the icy blue looks better, stay with cool winter.
Leave out
Cool Winter colors to avoid
Each one with the reason it fights this coloring and a color from the palette that does the same job.
Orange
The warm base clashes with cool skin and makes any redness on the cheeks and nose look stronger.
Wear instead: True Red
Mustard
Warm and muted at once, it makes clear cool coloring look dull and slightly yellow.
Wear instead: Sapphire
Warm Brown
Chocolate and tobacco browns are too warm to act as a neutral here.
Wear instead: Charcoal
Cream
It reads as off-white gone yellow and softens the contrast the palette depends on.
Wear instead: Pure White
Coral
Coral is a warm pink, and on rosy skin it competes with the natural flush.
Wear instead: Shocking Pink
Olive Green
The yellow in olive makes cool skin look gray and the eyes look tired.
Wear instead: Emerald
Terracotta
Earthy and orange-based, it belongs to the autumns and drains a cool winter of color.
Wear instead: Raspberry
Dusty Mauve
Right in temperature but grayed, so it looks faded beside clear cool features.
Wear instead: Orchid
Wearing it
Cool Winter outfits: six combinations
Work
Charcoal, Pure White, Royal Blue
A charcoal suit and white shirt, with royal blue in a knit or tie; the gray and white carry two thirds of the look.
Evening
True Red, Silver
A true red dress or jacket with silver jewelry; let the red be the only color and keep the metal bright.
Casual
Navy, Icy Blue
Dark navy jeans and an icy blue shirt or tee, with white sneakers to repeat the light at the bottom.
Summer
Pure White, Cool Turquoise, Icy Aqua
White linen with a cool turquoise top; icy aqua as a second light so the outfit stays cool in strong sun.
Winter
Midnight Blue, Magenta, Cool Gray
A midnight blue coat with a magenta scarf at the neck, over cool gray knitwear.
Accessories
Silver, Ruby
Silver hardware and frames, with ruby as the one colored accessory, such as a bag or a lip.
Clear, not muted
Choose the version of a color that looks like it has been washed rather than dusted. A clear royal blue flatters; a grayed denim blue does much less.
White is a real option
Pure white is one of the few neutrals that keeps up with this palette. Use it for shirts and knitwear instead of cream.
One strong color, one sharp neutral
True red with charcoal, royal blue with pure white. The pairing is what carries the outfit, not the number of colors.
Hair
Cool Winter hair color
Shades that suit
- Cool dark brown. Dark brown with an ash base keeps the contrast without adding red.
- Blue-black. Strong on cool winters with fair to medium skin, where the contrast is the point.
- Ash brown. For lighter cool winters; it keeps the hair cool while softening the jump to fair skin.
- Silver and pure gray. Cool winters often gray clearly. Leaving it, or toning it bright silver, suits the palette better than covering it with warm brown.
- Burgundy-black. A dark cool red cast that echoes the reds in the palette without warming the face.
Shades that fight it
- Golden blonde. Yellow at the face fights pink-based skin and makes the eyes look less clear.
- Copper and strawberry. Orange-reds amplify any redness in cool skin.
- Warm caramel balayage. Warm stripes through cool hair look like two palettes at once and soften the contrast.
Makeup
Cool Winter makeup: base, cheek, eyes and lips
Base and foundation
Look for pink or cool undertones in the shade code and match on the jawline in daylight. Cool winter skin often has visible redness; a cool base handles it better than a yellow one, which can turn the red parts muddy. Check the shade again after a few minutes, since many formulas oxidize toward orange.
Cheek
A cool pink or a clear raspberry blush, placed on the apples and blended up. Avoid peach and coral blush, which sits on top of rosy skin rather than in it.
- Cool pink blush #D4587E
- Raspberry blush #B0174F
Eyes
Charcoal, navy, plum and silver. A thin line of navy or deep purple reads cleaner than brown on this coloring. Gray-taupe works when you want a quiet eye.
- Navy liner #1B2541
- Silver shimmer #C4C9CF
- Gray taupe #7D7A80
Lips
True red, fuchsia, berry and cool pink. This is the season where a classic blue-red lipstick looks most natural.
- True red lipstick #C8102E
- Fuchsia #C2187A
- Cool berry #8E1D4A
The base
Metals, jewelry and wardrobe neutrals
Silver, platinum and white gold. Yellow gold reads warm and slightly dirty next to this skin.
Silver and platinum are the cool winter metals, and both look best polished rather than brushed or antiqued. Bright white metal repeats the clean white in the palette and the high contrast of the coloring. White gold works the same way.
Platinum has a slightly grayer, denser white than silver, which suits deeper cool winters and gray hair especially well. Silver is brighter and more reflective and suits lighter cool winters and blue or gray eyes.
Stones in white metal: sapphire, ruby, emerald, amethyst and clear crystal. Pearls in bright white or silver-gray. If you own yellow gold you love, wear it away from the face, on a wrist or hand, where the warm reflection does not reach the skin.
- Pure White
- Silver
- Cool Gray
- Charcoal
- Navy
- Sapphire
Every depth
Cool Winter on fair, medium and deep skin
Fair skin
Fair, rosy skin with dark or ash hair reads as a classic true winter. The lights and the reds and pinks groups do most of the work: Icy Pink, Icy Blue, True Red. Very dark deeps can look heavy in large amounts, so pair them with white.
Medium skin
Medium skin with a cool base can wear almost the whole palette. The accents group is strongest here: Royal Blue, Emerald and Violet look rich rather than loud, and Charcoal makes a better daily neutral than black.
Deep skin
Deep skin with a cool undertone carries the brightest accents and Pure White beautifully. Hot Turquoise, Cool Fuchsia and Cobalt look vivid against it; the deeps group works best broken up with a white or icy piece near the face.
Questions
Cool Winter questions
Is cool winter the same as true winter?
Yes. Cool winter and true winter name the same season: the coolest of the three winters, with clear, saturated, blue-based colors and medium to high contrast.
What are the cool winter colors?
True red, royal blue, emerald, magenta, sapphire, icy pink, pure white, charcoal and silver lead the palette. The 36 colors above add icy lights, clear mid-tones, deep jewel tones and cool pinks.
How do I know if I am cool winter or cool summer?
Both are cool. Cool winter looks better in clear, saturated color and can wear black at the face; cool summer looks better in softened color with some gray in it. Compare royal blue with slate blue in daylight.
Can a cool winter wear gold?
Yellow gold tends to warm and yellow the skin. Silver, platinum and white gold suit better. Rose gold is a compromise for some, but it still leans warm.
What hair color suits a true winter?
Cool dark brown, blue-black, ash brown, burgundy-black, and clear silver or gray. Avoid golden blonde, copper and warm caramel highlights.
Can a cool winter wear black?
Yes. Black works at the face for most cool winters, especially with dark hair. Charcoal and navy are softer alternatives with the same effect.
Can a cool winter wear brown?
Warm browns are the hardest neutral for this season. If you want brown, choose a very dark, gray-based espresso and keep it below the waist; charcoal, navy and cool gray are easier at the face.
How we measure. The seasons on this site come from fixed positions for warmth, depth and clarity, and the free test matches you to the nearest one. Read the method
More for a Cool Winter
- Winter color palettesCool color at full strength, with contrast to match.
- Cool Summer paletteBlue-based, medium depth, quietly sure of itself.
- Deep Winter paletteDark, cool and built for contrast.
- Skin undertone testWarm, cool, neutral or olive, from a skin sample and four quick questions.
- How we measureThe formulas, boundaries and limits behind every number